“Well, look on the bright side. This time, it’ll be you drowning in your relationship sorrows while I hold your hair back as you puke.”

  “How is that a bright side?” Josie asked.

  “Maybe it’s not, but it’s a nice change of pace. Hey, did I ever tell you that Scarlet tried to get me to have a three-way with JR?”

  He shivered visibly, and I wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

  “That’s disgusting.”

  “No kidding. Doesn’t she know that a three-way always involves two chicks and one man?”

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” she huffed, wincing as she held her side. “Don’t make me laugh.”

  “Laughter is the best medicine.”

  “Not when every inch of your body hurts.”

  “Hey, I took a bullet. You were just punched a few times,” Sawyer teased. “I have an actual hole in my body.”

  “You have one in your brain also, but that hasn’t stopped you from living your life.”

  “Ooh, now things get mean. See, I knew you couldn’t always be the nice sister.”

  “I’m cranky,” Josie muttered. “I just want to go home and have some tea.”

  “Well, you get to leave tomorrow. I’ll make sure everything’s ready for you.”

  “With your one arm?”

  He flinched back. “Of course not. I’ll play the sympathy card and make everyone else do everything for me.”

  “Just don’t let any of your friends go through my drawers.”

  “Hey, I make no guarantees.”

  Deciding I’d been snooping long enough, I knocked on the door and entered, waiting impatiently to find out if she’d kick me out. There was no immediate reaction like I’d hoped for. She didn’t seem pissed at me, but she wasn’t smiling either.

  I wasn’t sure that boded well for me.

  Sawyer turned himself toward the door, pretending he was running late. “Gee, look at the time. I gotta…go get that colonoscopy.”

  Josie shot him an evil look as he wheeled toward me. Maybe that meant Sawyer was on my side.

  “You hurt her, I’ll kill you and stuff your body in a drain pipe.”

  Then again, maybe not.

  “How are you feeling?”

  A huff of laughter slipped from her lips. “Do you really care?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Yeah? Could have fooled me. That disappearing act you pulled says otherwise.”

  “Josie—”

  “Save it,” she snapped, hissing in a breath.

  Rushing forward, I gently eased her into a more comfortable position, peeling the front of the gown down to examine the cut on her chest. Red and inflamed, it looked worse than yesterday.

  “Have you been putting the salve on your chest?”

  “They told me not to.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s not their kind of medicine,” she muttered, rolling her eyes as much as her bruised face would allow.

  That was just fucking ridiculous. I trusted Josie with her medicine more than any doctor. Searching through the drawers, I found the jar and gently applied it, berating myself for not only leaving her alone, but also for the condition she was in.

  “I’m sorry I walked away,” I said quietly.

  “I expected nothing less.”

  Those words alone cut me deeper than anything else she could have said. I was that predictable. She knew that when it got hard, I would cut and run. It didn’t matter if I thought I was doing it to protect her. I had done exactly as she expected.

  How could she ever trust me?

  “I thought you wanted me to go,” I said, berating myself for making it sound like I was making up excuses.

  “JR, I told you once, I’m not interested in trying to fix a man.”

  “I know, and that’s not—” Sighing, I took a seat, looking her straight in the eyes. “I’m gonna fuck up, Josie. I know it’s not fair to ask you to stick around and put up with my bullshit, but…”

  I swallowed hard around the words. I was terrible at laying everything on the line, at saying what I felt. And even worse, that dead look in her eyes just made it harder to be vulnerable.

  But I had to.

  “I’m asking you to forgive me. I’m asking you to stick by me even when I screw up. I know I don’t offer a lot, and I know that I bring a shit ton of baggage that you’d probably rather not deal with. But I swear to you, I will never run away from you again. I might go for a drive to clear my head, and you might have to kick me in the balls every once in a while to put me in my place, but I’ll stay through it all.”

  Not a single breath passed through my lips as I waited for a reaction from her. The shimmer of tears in her eyes was her only reaction, and that scared me more than anything. She was the one good thing in my life, and if she kicked me to the curb, I just didn’t know how to keep moving forward.

  “JR…I want to say yes,” she whispered. “I want to tell you that I believe you and we can take this chance⁠—”

  “Then say yes.” My breath rushed out of me in one painful swoop. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. My chest felt like it was caving in on me, and moisture filled my eyes for the first time since I was a kid.

  I was fucking crying.

  “I love you, Josie.” Blinking back the tears, I met her gaze. “I know I ran. I was so fucking scared when I saw you lying in this bed, knowing it was all my fault. My choices put you here, and…I can’t take it. I can’t see you like this ever again. But I can’t live without you either. I can’t wake up every morning, knowing I’ll never see you again. I swear to you, I will do anything. I will make you tea every morning. I’ll get a different job. I’ll⁠—”

  “Shut up, JR,” she cried. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

  I was on my feet a second later, gently pressing my lips to the only spot on her lips that wasn’t damaged by my stupidity.

  I sucked in a shattered breath and smiled down at her. “Does that mean you forgive me?”

  “Yes, but I have conditions.”

  I would do whatever it was. I didn’t care what the conditions were. “You name them.”

  “First, I get to call you whatever names come to mind at any given time. I can’t believe your mother gave you two letters for a name. It’s just insane.”

  I nodded, biting back my smile. “Fair enough.”

  “Second, you will accept all milkshake sneak attacks with grace because I’m sure they’re coming.”

  “I sort of expected that.”

  “And third, the next time Sawyer falls in love with a woman and she breaks his heart, it’s on you to take him to the bar and get drunk with him. I don’t think I can do it again.”

  “It’ll be my top priority.”

  “Then I accept.”

  “Now, just a minute. I have a few conditions of my own.”

  The shock on her face was priceless. “You have conditions?”

  I nodded in all seriousness. “First, you will accept all my help until you’re fully healed, and only I can decide when that is.”

  She rolled her eyes, but I continued.

  “Second, I will handle everything at the apothecary shop. You will boss me around and yell at me when I do something wrong. I will deliver your orders and sit through tea and scones with Mrs. Bailey while you’re at home recovering.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Ah!” I cut her off. “And third, you will yell at me as much as you need to until you fully trust me, because I know it’s going to take a lot for you to put your faith in me.”

  “JR—”

  “It’s my final stipulation,” I said quietly. “I need to know I’ve earned your trust, and the only way to do that is for you to be completely honest with me.”

  “Fine.”

  “Oh, and one last thing⁠—”

  “You already said my final stipulation. You can’t add another stipulation now.”

  “I can and I will at any given time. It’s my right as your—manfriend.”

  “My manfriend?”

  I nodded, unsure of what else to call myself. “I want you to live with me so I can wait on you hand and foot.”

  “I’m not sure I can take that much smothering,” she grumbled.

  “Then live with me because you want to. And because Milo won’t visit me unless you’re with him.”

  “So, you finally admit that you love him,” she grinned, wincing as her lips split.

  “Careful,” I murmured. “Don’t damage those perfect lips.” I ran the tip of my finger along her lower lip. “Take pity on me, and say you’ll move in with me.”

  She sighed softly. “Well, I guess, if it’s what’s best for Milo.”

  “It really is.”

  44

  JOSIE

  “JR, just tell me where you’re taking me,” I snapped as we hit another bump in the road.

  I’d been blindfolded for the past fifteen minutes, and I was getting really tired of being in the dark.

  “If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”

  “Maybe I don’t want it to be a surprise,” I argued.

  “Since when are you so tense about surprises?”

  Since I’d already been at the mercy of someone else once before, and it didn’t turn out so well that time. “I just don’t like…being like this.”

  “Right. Shit.” With a heavy sigh, he gripped my hand in his. “I promise, we’re almost there. I know I’m asking a lot, but please trust me on this. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  I knew that. I really did. But being in the dark made me vulnerable. But he wanted to surprise me, so I took a deep breath and reminded myself that as long as I was with him, I would be fine.

  It had been two months since the attack and I was mostly healed. He hadn’t let me lift a finger to anything since I got out of the hospital, and when he had to work, someone from town was with me even when I was sleeping.

  It was sweet.

  But I was ready for just a little freedom.

  “Alright, we’re here.”

  “So, I can take this off?” I asked, reaching for the blindfold.

  “Nope. Just stay where you are. I’m coming around to your side.”

  “Of course, you are,” I muttered under my breath.

  I gasped when his lips brushed against my ear. “So cranky today.”

  “Well—”

  He pressed a finger to my lips, then replaced it with his lips. “Trust me.”

  Sighing, I waited impatiently as he got out and came around to my side, guiding me out of the truck and telling me where to step. Honestly, it was frustrating, but I never was very good at waiting for surprises.

  “Okay, here we are. Ready?”

  “I was born ready.”

  He barked out a laugh, and then the pressure around my eyes eased as light finally filtered in. Blinking several times, I stared at the picturesque view of the mountains, wondering what I was supposed to be seeing.

  “Um…it’s beautiful. But you know, I’ve seen this many times before.”

  “Yes, but has it been your view every morning?”

  Confused, I turned, but instead of looking at him, I was staring at a two-story house that had a giant bow wrapped around the porch. My jaw dropped as I realized what this meant.

  “What do you think?”

  It was amazing. Beautiful. And the view…you couldn’t beat it. “Well, you could have made the bow a little bigger,” I teased. “And I’m not sure there’s enough space out here for Milo to run around. I mean, you’d think you could have found a little more land for him.”

  His fingers dug into my sides, tickling me as he slid his arm around my waist. “Seriously, what do you think?”

  Resting my head on his shoulder, I sighed happily. “I think it’s perfect.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “And I also think it’s about time you got a cowboy hat.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Smirking at him, I slipped out of his arms and headed for the house. “Because I’m about to show you a reverse cowgirl.”

  Thank you for reading Real Good Man. The saga continues in How Forever Feels!

  ALSO BY GIULIA LAGOMARSINO

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  Reading Order:

  https://giulialagomarsinoauthor.com/reading-order/

  Interested in reading both small-town romance and protector romance in order? Follow the series links below!

  For The Love Of A Good Woman series

  Reed Security series

  The Cortell Brothers

  A Good Run Of Bad Luck

  The Shifting Sands Beneath Us- Standalone

  Owens Protective Services

  The Last Best Place For Love

 

 

  Giulia Lagomarsino, Real Good Man: The Last Best Place For Love

 

 

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